JPH0624107A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent mis-operation of a user by a method wherein a printer for data from an external device detects the size and set status of printing paper, compares them with the safe information in received data to decide whether printing is allowed or not, and warns a printing data generating source when printing is not allowed. CONSTITUTION:When printing control commands regarding character data, printing pages, etc., are input to an input section 11 from a host computer 2, a developing section 12 analyzes the input data and forms bit mapped data most suitable for printing by a printing section 15 on a bit mapped memory. A control section 17 outputs an instruction to a paper feeding section 13 according to the analyzed results to feed paper. After paper feed is completed, a paper size detector 14 detects the longitudinal and lateral sizes and set status of the fed paper to judge whether it is long lengthwise or crosswise. When the printing section executes printing, agreement or disagreement between the printing paper feeding direction and the printing direction designated by a user is detected, and when disagreement is detected, the data are transferred to the host computer 2 via a transfer section 16.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus which receives data from an external device such as a host computer and prints in page units.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional printing apparatus, when portrait printing is designated by a host computer, and if the insertion direction of the printing paper is landscape orientation, the portrait printing is performed as it is on the landscape printing paper according to the designation of the host computer. It is configured.

[0003]

Therefore, in the above-mentioned conventional example, as shown in FIG. 11, the lower part of the print data is not printed on the printing paper because it protrudes from the printing paper. Further, there is a disadvantage that an intended print result cannot be obtained because an unnecessary blank is formed on the right side of the printing paper.

Conventionally, such a printing operation is treated as careless by the user. Therefore, when printing the document information stored in a floppy disk or the like, the user must display the document information to be printed on the host computer each time and check the suitable size and orientation of the printing paper. It was

Therefore, in view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of preventing a user's operation error relating to a printing operation.

[0006]

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention shows a detection means for detecting the size and installation state of a print sheet to be printed, and control information added to print data. Judgment means for judging whether or not printing is possible by comparing the size and installation state of the printing paper with the size and setting state of the printing paper detected by the detection means, and the judgment of unprintable by the judgment means. And a warning means for sending a warning signal to the print data generation source.

[0007]

According to the present invention, regarding the installation state of the printing paper, the installation error of the printing paper is detected before the actual printing by comparing the installed printing paper with the information instructed from the print data source side. . In addition, the print data generation source that has received the warning signal displays a warning so that the user can know the setting error of the printing paper.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a control circuit which constitutes a part of an output device according to the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is an output device to which the present invention is applied, and 2 is an external device such as a host computer or a terminal device. In this example, a host computer is used. 1
Reference numeral 1 is an input unit for receiving data transferred from the host computer 2. Reference numeral 12 is a development unit that analyzes the data input by the input unit 11 and creates one page of bitmap data on the memory. Reference numeral 13 denotes a paper feeding unit that feeds printing paper for printing the above-mentioned bitmap data.

Reference numeral 14 is a paper size detection unit (detection means of the present invention) for detecting the length in the vertical direction and the length in the horizontal direction of the printing paper fed by the paper feeding unit 13 using an optical sensor or the like.
Reference numeral 15 is a printing unit for printing the bitmap data on the printing paper. Reference numeral 16 denotes a rolling unit for transferring the internal state of the printing apparatus 15 such as paper out or paper jam to the outside as command format data. Reference numeral 17 is a control unit for controlling the control circuit of this configuration in various forms.

The processing procedure of the control circuit in the present embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration will be described below with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. FIG. 2 shows a control procedure when the output device outputs one page. First, in step 21, bitmap data for printing is created. A detailed procedure for creating print data is shown in FIG. That is, first, in step 31 of FIG. 3, the transmission data from the host computer 2 is input by the input unit 11. The input data at this time is character data or commands for performing various print controls for forming a print page. The command format is as shown in Fig. 6, and the command byte 6
a, parameter 6b, and terminator 6c. The normal command byte 6a indicates the type of the command, the parameter 6b indicates the detailed specification of the command, and the terminator 6c indicates the end of the command. The type of the command includes, for example, the designation of the print position, the print direction on the printing paper, the size of characters, the designation of the line spacing, the page break, and the like.

In step 32, the expanding unit 12 analyzes the input data. If the input data at this time is a command for designating the print direction, it is stored in the print direction storage area "print direction storage area = internal memory". In step 33, the developing unit 12 forms the bitmap data in the form most suitable for the printing unit 15 to print on the bitmap memory 8b of FIG. 8 based on the analysis result. After the print data is created, next step 22
Paper is fed at.

FIG. 4 shows the paper feeding processing procedure. First, in step 41 of FIG. 4, the control unit 17 issues a paper feed execution command to the paper feed unit 13. In step 42, the control unit 17 waits for the end of paper feeding, and when the paper feeding is completed, the control unit 17 detects the vertical and horizontal sizes and the installation state of the printing paper fed by the paper size detection unit 14 in step 43.

FIG. 9 shows a method that can be specifically considered as the method for detecting the paper size. The method (a) is a method of measuring the length of the printing paper by moving the reflection type sensor 9a along the X direction and the Y direction of the printing paper by the moving mechanism to detect the end portion of the printing paper at the end of feeding. Is. The method (b) has a structure in which the paper is stored in a tray having a plurality of holes at the end of paper feeding, and light is emitted from the lower portion, and a sensor 9b provided on the upper portion detects the emitted light for a long time. It is a method of measuring quality. The method (c) has a structure in which a dedicated paper feed cassette is attached to the paper feed unit 13, and the convex portion provided in the paper feed cassette discriminates the type of paper by pressing the switch of the paper feed unit 13. This is a method of recognizing the length of paper.

Based on the vertical and horizontal lengths of the paper detected by such a method, it is determined in step 44 whether the print paper fed by the control unit 17 is vertical or horizontal, that is, the installation state. When the feeding is completed, in step 23, the printing unit 15 prints according to the instruction of the control unit 17.

The detailed printing procedure is shown in FIG. First, in step 51, the control unit 17 compares the portrait / landscape information of the printing paper determined in step 44 with the information in the print direction storage area of FIG. 8a stored in step 32. At this time, the control unit 17 operates as the determination unit of the present invention.

When it is determined that the inserting direction of the printing paper and the printing direction designated by the user are coincident with each other, the printing is permitted, and in step 53, the printing unit 15 prints on the printing paper. If it is determined that they do not match, the transfer unit 16 transfers the status data in step 52 without permitting printing. At this time, the control unit 17 and the transfer unit 16 operate as warning means of the present invention. The state data mentioned here has the same format as the transmission data from the host computer shown in FIG. 6, that is, it is indicated by the command byte 6a that it is transfer data. The parameter 6b indicates that the insertion direction and size of the print sheet are different, and the terminator 6c indicates the end of the command.

When an external device such as a host computer receives the transfer data from the printing device, the fact is shown in FIG.
The operator is informed by taking a measure such as displaying a message on the display as shown in FIG. When the operator changes the insertion direction of the paper, the process returns to step 41 and paper feeding is started again.

When the printing is completed, the one-page output procedure shown in FIG. 2 is completed.

<Other Embodiments> (1) The status signal sent from the printing device may include information indicating the print paper size and installation direction detected by the paper size detection unit 14. In this case, in addition to a simple warning display on the host computer side, a message indicating the print sheet size and installation state indicated by the print control data added to the print data and the print sheet size and installation state on the printer side is displayed.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect an installation error of the printing paper to be installed before printing, so that the user does not have to check the contents of the print data each time.

[0023]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a control circuit according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a one-page output processing procedure according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of data creation.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a paper feeding processing procedure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a printing processing procedure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an input command sequence.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a printing direction.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of RAM usage.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a paper size detection method.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a message display example.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a conventional printing inconvenience example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Output device 2 Host computer 11 Input part 12 Development part 13 Paper feed part 14 Paper size detection part 15 Printing part 16 Transfer part 17 Control part

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A detection unit for detecting the size and installation state of a print sheet to be printed, a size and installation state of the print sheet indicated by control information added to the print data, and a print sheet detected by the detection unit. Of the print data and the setting state of the print data are compared with each other, and when the print data is determined to be non-printable, a warning signal is sent to the source of the print data. A printing device, comprising: